Twilight: ReVamped
by DarkMuse112
Summary: The potential was there, but the execution was not. Re-writing Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" with more action, drama, romance, horror, mystery, and everything else that the original was lacking.
1. Epilogue and Chapter 1: The Call

_I started this story once before, but I didn't like how it was going. This is my second attempt._

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

As life sometimes goes, we must learn to accept the hands we are dealt. We are powerless to stop time. But as the days turn into months and the months turn into years, we eventually grow to accept these changes and become stronger because of our pasts. And sometimes we end up in dangerous places.

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><p><strong>The Call<strong>

Midterms were approaching in a week, and although she should have been diligently studying for the upcoming trials, Bella Swan had excused herself from her work and retired to the small, cozy living room of the home that she and her mother shared in Phoenix. She had been studying all week, seldom taking time to breathe, and felt that some well-deserved television time was definitely in order. The clock on the VCR below the small, wall-mounted flat-screen testified that it was not quite eleven-thirty at night. Only the television screen and a lone floor lamp tucked away in a corner on the opposite side of the room lit the tiny space.

An hour later, as the most recent episode of _The Tonight Show with Jay Leno _blurred into the beginning of _Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel_, Bella realized that it was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open. Her mother had yet to return home.

Renée worked locally as an insurance adjuster, and was frequently sent off to the smaller offices in nearby towns for meetings and other business related functions. She had told Bella the morning prior that she would be out of town for the night, but that she would be back in the early evening the next day. It was the next day, but still no Renée.

Bella had not remembered to worry about her mother's unexplained failure to return home. If she had not been so busy with schoolwork, she probably would have started to panic hours ago. But in her focus, the thought never even occurred to her.

However, as she flipped off the television, this sudden reality bubbled to the surface of her thoughts, and all of a sudden, she felt a squirming feeling in her gut.

_No,_ she thought to herself, _don't think like that. There's probably an explanation. If she knew she was going to be late, she would have called, but maybe she forgot her phone at the main office or here at home somewhere. I know how she is... Of course, if she knew she forgot her phone, she would have used a pay phone somewhere, or borrowed someone else's…_

She made her way toward the stairs, and the sickening feeling that something just was not right was slowly becoming more resolute in her thoughts. Her foot had no sooner fallen on the first step that the phone rang from the hallway table behind her.

_Mom!_

She quickly spun on her heel and grabbed the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Swan?"

_No. Not Mom. Who…?_

"Y-yes. May I ask who's calling?"

"I'm sheriff Abel from the Phoenix City Police Department..."

The man had not even finished his sentence when Bella felt the little puffs of fear that had begun to grow in her gut explode into storm clouds, thunder and lightning bouncing between them.

"Is everything okay?"

"Actually, no."

He delivered the news quickly, but sensitively, and asked if he could speak with her in person to give her more details. She did not want to believe it.

"Is this a joke?"

The voice on the other end of the line was hesitant, for the man it belonged to, was well aware of how calls like this usually unfolded. They generally followed in a series of stages: first was disbelief. The second, denial, and finally trust in the truth, which accompanied the pain.

"I wish it were," came the sighed response.

"No. It's not possible. This is a dream. I fell asleep on the couch and I'm dreaming." She smacked herself in the face, pinched her cheeks, trying to rouse herself from her imagined slumber.

"Miss Swan, I'm going to send an officer over to come and get you. Do you have any other family that need to be informed, and can look after you for the night?"

She dropped the receiver and fell to her knees in the middle of the dark entryway. Tears welled in her eyes. Her stomach hurt so badly she felt like she might vomit. Then, in an expression of agony that could have rent the heavens, she let out a scream so gut wrenching that the man who remained on the other end of the phone line found himself sobbing uncontrollably in remorse for this young girl. He did not even know her.

The night her mother died was one of the most horrific through which Bella had ever suffered. A few days later, once the funeral had been concluded with Renée's burial next to her mother and father, Bella found herself on a plane to Seattle, seated next to her father Charlie, who had flown in to Phoenix as soon as he'd received the phone call.


	2. Chapter 2: Forks

**Forks**

The car ride with her father from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to her new home in Forks was, for the most part, uneventful. Although Bella had spent every summer with her father in this small Washington State town up until the year she had turned twelve, she found that now she and her father's interactions were somewhat… awkward, to say the least. In truth, the two of them had not remained closely in touch with one another since her last visit, so it was no wonder that, as they drove, the space inside the Crown Victoria remained completely and utterly devoid of conversation.

Bella knew that even though her parents had been divorced for almost sixteen years, Charlie had always, and probably always would, care for her mother. Bella did not know exactly what had happened to cause the breakup, but Charlie had never re-married and as far as she knew, never even sought the company of another woman. More than likely, she imagined that he threw himself into his work as Police Chief of Forks to keep his mind off of his reality. Thinking about this, along with the thought that her father's one true love was now cold inside the ground, brought on a sudden and deep-set depression. Bella could not even imagine how painful her father's situation must be. She suspected his pain was even worse than her own, since he had never stopped loving Renée, even when she had stopped loving him in return.

When they eventually pulled in at 32 Maple Street, Charlie finally broke the silence.

"I hope you like it here," he said, getting out of the car, "I know your mother never cared for it much, but..." he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Bella, who had followed Charlie's initiative and gotten out of the car after him, watched as a pained expression suddenly struck his youthful, yet wise face. She felt tears begin to well in her own eyes. It was easy to see why her mother had fallen for this man. Although he was in his mid forties, he had a kind, gentle face and boyishly light, strawberry-blond hair; features that, in youth, had probably been doubly striking.

A knot lodged itself in her throat as she became aware that she longed desperately to run to her father and throw her arms around him, tell him, "Everything will be alright. You've still got me. I'm a piece of her after all, and I'm here for you. You're not alone. _We're_ not alone." For she too felt like Charlie; the one person she truly cared about was gone from this earth and now… nothing.

Deep down, she wanted to console him, and she wanted to feel his warm, paternal touch reflecting and assuring her of that same security and love, but she refrained. Because on the surface she felt that she and her father had become too estranged for such intimate interaction so soon after reuniting for the first time in five years.

Hauling the two big bags that contained all of her possessions into the house, Charlie led his daughter immediately upstairs to her room. The interior of the small, yet quaint, little space was bare, obviously having not been given the proper attention in preparation for her arrival. It was understandable though; there was no way Charlie could have known his daughter would be moving in with him upon his return. It had not been decided until after the funeral that he would become her new legal guardian. Renée had not written a will, but it was obvious that Bella's father should inherit custody over his own flesh and blood rather than a boyfriend who was not much more than a child himself, and who was always out of town because of the minor league baseball team of which he was a member.

The bed had been made with a plain white comforter, and a single pillow in a white case lay fluffed at the base of the headboard. The walls hinted at yellow paint, though the dusky evening light filtering through the old aluminum blinds made it hard to tell exactly what color they were. In the far corner next to the window, stood a richly stained rocking chair, and piled upon the seat was a small stack of photo albums. A shelf on the opposite wall held a few books, but for the most part it was vacant.

"Sorry it's so empty," Charlie said, lowering the bag that he carried onto the wooden floor, "We'll go and find some things to brighten it up soon. Promise."

"Okay Char … Dad."

As she quickly corrected herself, and the last word escaped her lips, she immediately felt awkward. But she noticed a minute change in her father's posture as his face brightened, albeit ever so slightly. Noticing this difference, her embarrassment at calling him "Dad" (a word so foreign and unusually distasteful coming from her mouth) immediately fled her, and she began to feel a little more comfortable with the unfamiliar presence of her father.

Appearing lost for words, Charlie quickly made to excuse himself. "I'll be downstairs if you need me. Goodnight."

It seemed as if he had wanted to say something more, but before he could tack on a forced "sweetheart" to the end of his sentence, he turned and exited the room.

Although she was not a hermit, Bella enjoyed her privacy, and was thankful that Charlie had never been one to hover. Her mother had always been so intrigued with every aspect of her daughter's life that, at times, it could be a little suffocating. Now though, Bella would give anything to have her mother's prying, curious eyes peeking over her shoulder. The realization that she would never again see those eyes sent a bolt of pain through her heart, and within seconds she found herself weeping uncontrollably.

Sitting on the bed, she lay back and just cried; cried like she had never cried before. She missed her old life, she missed Phoenix, and besides her mother, the thing she missed the most was the sun. From past experience, Bella knew that rain was a big part of the northwest Washington climate. She had been in Forks for no more than ten minutes and she already knew that the lack of sunshine on this little town was going to significantly destroy her mood. As if she needed more reasons to be miserable. She hated the cold and the damp. Why anyone would willingly choose to live in a place that was so unbearably soggy all year round was beyond her. Her disposition was so unfair. Not only was her mother taken from her but so was the warmth and the sunshine. The climate in Forks compared to that of Phoenix was, quite honestly, a complete compliment on the way her life had been turned upside down in the span of only a few days.

Eventually, before she even realized, Bella lay fast asleep atop the comforter.

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><p>The next day was Friday. As Charlie had taken the entire week off for the funeral, allowing a few extra days for the proper amount of time to mourn, Bella and Charlie took the day to begin reconnecting, and to work on making her room a bit brighter. After they visited Forks High School to register Bella for classes, they took a trip to the nearby town of Port Angeles, spending the rest of the afternoon searching for bedclothes, curtains, furniture, etcetera, to bring a little more life to her bedroom.<p>

Charlie spared no expense on whatever his daughter chose. She, in turn, tried to keep in mind that her father was not made out of money, but each insisted that the other do as they please. Bella tried to remain modest with her purchase choices, not feeling that it was proper to take advantage of her father's generosity. He on the other hand, insisted that she pay no attention to the prices of the things he was buying for her. The truth was, he missed his daughter, and he desperately wanted to make her happy. What he did not realize was that Bella had not grown up with a father figure around to dote upon her. He did not realize how awkward it made her feel to take and take and take and give nothing back in return.

They enjoyed each other's company though, and the day passed quickly. That evening, Bella had a room in which she felt comfortable, and Charlie was satisfied with his daughter's happiness. They even had a fairly easy-going conversation over takeout pizza that night at dinner.

Yes, things were slowly becoming more comfortable in the house. Even though the pain of loss was ever present in her heart, and would likely stay with her for the rest of her life, she was finding it much easier to cope. Having someone else there to grieve and share in her pain and feeling of loss was much more bearable than having to suffer alone.

Saturday passed without incident. On Sunday morning, Bella awoke to an empty house. Charlie had told her that for him, working on the weekends was a rare occurrence. It more than likely would never happen… unless there was an emergency.

Bella would have dismissed his absence as nothing more than a trip to the grocery store or some other such errand, except that his gun belt was not on the hook near the back door and the Crown Victoria was not in the driveway. She immediately began to worry.

The town of Forks had a population of 3,120 people and now that Bella called it home, twenty-one. There was no crime there. Maybe there was a domestic dispute once in a while, but for the most part, the town was fairly calm. The residents, themselves, did a lot of self-policing, and really only when something became out of hand did they involve the actual police department. But incidents were so few and far between that it was a surprise Charlie had a job at all. Bella guessed there were other duties he had, for example if there was a car wreck, or someone needed assistance with something, but for the most part, his job was not all that dangerous.

_What if he's at a standoff with a bazooka-wielding gunman? _Bella had never been one for optimism.

_What if there's a hostage situation? He said that if he worked on the weekends it would only be for extreme emergencies…_

Then she began to debate whether or not she should try to get him on his cell phone. If he were in danger, maybe she would be bothering him. He might get distracted and get shot by the gunman. But then again, there might not even be a gunman. Of course, if she called him, he could always ignore it if he were busy and call her later. But what if he died and could not call her later?

As these and other thoughts raced through her panic-muddled head, she decided that calling him was better than sitting at home worrying whether or not she was going to be parentless later that afternoon. She did not want to lose her father, especially when her mother's grave was still so fresh back in Phoenix.

She dialed the number and he picked up after only two rings.

"Hello?" came his familiar gruff tone.

"Dad!" The relief in her voice was too obvious.

"Oh, hi Bella. Is everything all right at home?"

"Yeah, I just woke up. But you weren't here and I noticed your gun belt was missing, so I knew you were on duty, and you said the only time you were on duty on the weekends was if there was an emergency and I started thinking you were at a standoff with a gunaman with a bazooka…" her words were flying from her mouth about a million miles a minute.

"Bella! Bella, calm down. Don't let your imagination get the better of you. Everything's fine."

She could hear voices in the background through the receiver. Some were louder than others, but they all seemed to be repeating the same word over and over.

"Then what's going on, Dad?"

"A boy went missing last night. His parents called and reported it. I know the family, and it isn't his normal behavior to just disappear. So we've got a search party trying to find him before I file an official missing person's report."

"Oh. Um… should I… should I help?"

Bella was not used to the small-town, tight-knit community of rural America. However, she knew that her suggestion was only proper.

"No, that's okay. Just stay at home and relax. We've got it all under control out here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. Just relax today. Ill be home soon."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Uh huh. Bye."

There was a click on the other end of the line and it went dead.

So, Charlie was okay. She felt a little lighter knowing that her father was not on the verge of being riddled with bullet holes, and resolved to spend the rest of her alone time sitting on her butt watching TV.

She made herself a lovely lunch of frozen French fries baked in the oven and a toasted egg sandwich with bacon. She had not made herself an egg sandwich in a while, and had forgotten just how much she liked them. It tasted really good. She still had the touch.

At about 2:30 in the afternoon, Charlie came home, looking a bit bedraggled.

"Hi, Dad," she greeted him at the door just as he was slipping off his shoes.

"Hi."

There was a moment of silence. Neither of them wanted to speak first, but Bella eventually took the initiative.

"So… did you find him?"

"Yeah. We did. Thank goodness."

"Was he okay?"

"Yeah. A little shaken up though."

She knew her father was trying to censor himself by the shaky tone in his voice; hide the news that was, what he deemed, too mature for her young, innocent ears.

"Dad, I'm seventeen. You don't need to shield me from the real world. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself. So, what happened to him?"

Charlie inhaled deeply then let out a long sigh before explaining.

"We found him in the woods, laying in a bramble patch. Tyler Crowley. He was barely conscious, but he was alive. I don't know what happened to him after that, because the ambulance took him away to the hospital in the next town over. I'm waiting for them to call me with the report."

Bella was not sure how to react as she stood trying to absorb the information. Things like this seemed to be on the news all the time in Phoenix: murders, kidnappings, and disappearances. But in a town this size, it just seemed strange, even to her. The atmosphere just felt tense, as by now, the whole town probably knew, and was worrying and praying for this boy.

"He's your age, Bella. In fact, he would have probably been in your classes at school tomorrow if he weren't in for a long visit at the hospital."

"Oh…" What was she supposed to say to that? Then what her father just said quickly sunk in and she felt a wave of terror begin to brew in the pit of her stomach. It was not as bad as the night she found out about her mother, but it was pretty intense.

School. She had to go to school tomorrow. That was not something she was looking forward to, and up until this point, she had completely neglected to worry about it. She had so many other things on her mind that it never even crossed her thoughts.

The expression of fear on her face must have been obvious, because then her father asked, "Are you okay?"

She hesitated, and then nodded stiffly. "I forgot about the whole 'school' thing."

"Oh," he blew a dismissive raspberry and patted her on the shoulder. "Bella, you'll be fine. Everyone around here knows each other, and you'll fit in right away. Trust me."

"That's just the point, Dad." Shrugging him off, she turned to him, her voice more frantic. "Everyone here has known each other since forever. How can I compete when they all have their own inside jokes and secrets and…"

"Bella. Calm down. You're just like your mother, worrying about every little thing." His face became soft, tender, at the mention of Renée. "Everything will be fine. Most people around town know me. They know you're here already and are looking forward to meeting you."

"I don't know…"

He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder then made his way to the kitchen. The banging of pots and pans was soon heard echoing through the house.

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><p><em>I want to let you know now<em>_, that this story is going to be drastically different from Stephanie Meyer's version at some points and at others will be much the same. In the chapters where it is totally different, I will explain my logic so that you can understand why I am taking the approach that I am taking. _

_That being said, I will explain the reason why I opened the story by killing off Bella's mom: __I don't think it makes sense that, in the original, Bella sends herself to a place that she hates, just because she wants her mom to be able to travel around with her much younger boyfriend. People are selfish by nature, and if I were in Bella's position, I would stay in the home in which I was happily living. So I gave Bella an actual reason to be miserable, an actual reason for being FORCED to move to Forks when she doesn't like it. Constant rain is not something that is worth getting depressed about, especially when it's mentioned at least THREE TIMES IN EVERY FREAKING CHAPTER._

_I will also explain why__, in this chapter, I had Tyler go missing and then be found in the woods: I can't tell you much only that it's important to the PLOT: an element of storytelling that Miss Meyer has no idea how to properly develop. I can't reveal the mystery of this yet though, as, even though you can probably already guess if you're familiar with the original Twilight at all, I want to lead into the revealing of my mysteries, instead of flat out telling you everything. Again, something Miss Meyer needs to learn to NOT do when writing stories._

_Also, I __probably should have said this in the first chapter, but obviously, I do not own Twilight. I may be using the same names, but I am not ripping off Stephanie Meyer's ideas. I wouldn't even want to because they're not original or special in any way shape or form. Besides, this is an Anti-FanFiction. I don't think copyright infringement should be an issue._


	3. Chapter 3: Mansion

**Mansion**

For dinner, Charlie made his famous, shredded, Italian roast beef. Piling the steaming meat high on hamburger buns, the two of them lounged in front of the television and ate like pigs. When their bellies were finally full, there came a strange rumbling sound from the driveway, accompanied by the sound of tires crunching over the loose gravel. Bella, feeling sloshy and stuffed, groaned in mock exasperation when Charlie looked at her with an expression that said, "You're going to go see who it is, aren't you?"

Rolling herself off the couch, she made her way to the door. Charlie was not far behind. She opened the door and the two of them moved out onto the front porch.

"Hey! Jacob! I thought you forgot about tonight!" Charlie called as the boy inside the faded, red, 1953 Chevy pickup killed the thunderous engine. How he had managed to maneuver his boat of a truck into the tiny dirt driveway was hard to picture. Quickly, he hopped out of the truck, a smile wide across his youthful face.

"Bella! How are you?" Jacob came rushing up to her with his arms wide, and embraced her in a friendly hug.

"I'm fine. How are you?" It was her automatic response to that frequently asked question. She remembered Jacob Black, but just as it was with her father, she had not spoken to him since her last visit five years ago. He had grown up so much since their last encounter, but his build remained slight. She tried to place his current age based on the age he had been the last time she had seen him and guessed that he was probably fifteen by now. It was clear that he was still going through that awkward transitional phase from boy to man, especially since his voice was wont to cracking when he spoke.

"I'm great! It's been so long! You've gotten a lot more.." his voice trailed off as he realized that any way he chose to end the sentence could lead to potential embarrassment. "…older."

Bella did not fail to notice the flush of his cheeks, or the uneasy way he suddenly began to shift his feet.

They were silent for an awkward moment until Jacob attempted to reconcile the situation.

"So…" he said turning to face the truck, "what do you think?"

Bella looked at the truck then looked up to him. She cocked her head to the side, the left corner of her mouth curling upward in confusion.

"What? About the truck?"

"Yeah!" he grinned down at her, appearing full of self-satisfaction. "I fixed it up myself. It was lying around our yard for years, and my dad never got around to finishing it himself before the accident."

Bella quickly remembered that Jacob's father, Billy, had been in a car accident just before she had left the last time, and was now confined to a wheelchair.

Jacob was still speaking. "It drives pretty nicely, though it's bumpy, and the gas mileage isn't so hot. But I don't think you'll have too much trouble with it, eh?"

She blinked a few times. Now she was really confused.

"Wait, you mean, this is for me?"

"I uh… I thought you could use a car of your own," Charlie piped in, stepping forward. "You know, so I don't have to drive you everywhere. You're seventeen, I think you deserve a little freedom."

Bella turned to face her father. "Wow. Thanks Dad. And you, Jacob. I… I really don't know what to say." Her voice came out in a flat monotone, and even to her it sounded as if she were being ungrateful. She truly was very thankful though, the gesture much appreciated. But she just did not have the energy in her to be excited at the moment.

"You don't like it, do you?" Charlie asked. She saw Jake's expression fall, looking hurt.

"No, it's not that. I really do like it. A lot. But, it's just that…" she choked as her chest swelled with emotion. "Mom never got me a car."

Charlie came over to her then, and rested his hand on the top of her head. "I'm sorry, honey. I know you miss her." He let his hand fall, stroking her hair as it did so, and he returned it to the back pocket of his jeans.

"Oh… I'm really sorry for your loss, guys," Jacob offered carefully.

"Thanks, Jake," Charlie replied.

The three of them stood there for a moment, staring at the wooden boards below their feet.

"So Bella," Jake said in an upbeat tone, his voice raising an octave on the last syllable, trying to lighten the mood a little, "how about a test-drive?"

"Okay," she replied, trying her best to mirror his enthusiasm and hopped down the porch stairs after him.

She jumped into the driver's side and Jacob into the passengers'. She pressed the clutch to the floor and turned the key, listening as the motor roared to life. Her mother had owned a Chevy Equinox, so she was used to the soundproofed interior and practically soundless buzz of the four-cylinder motor. But this vehicle was solid, and the rumble that came from under the hood was oh so satisfying. She felt like she could do anything. Like she was about to lead a swarm of hell-beasts through the gates of the underworld to unleash chaos upon humanity. This truck could eat the Equinox for breakfast. It raised her spirits to know that this big rusty beauty was hers.

"I guess you know how to operate a stick don't you?" Jacob questioned, grinning with the joy of her overflowing pleasure with her new truck.

"Surprisingly, yeah. My mom forced me to take driver's ed. back in Phoenix and the instructor –oh my god, she was like the traffic Nazi, I swear – she wouldn't let any of us get into an automatic until we knew how to properly operate a manual shift."

"What like with the blonde hair pulled tight into a bun and the eyebrows that go half-way up her forehead?"

"Hehehe, yeah! Exactly!" The two of them giggled.

"Be careful, you two! And don't be back too late!" Charlie called after them as Bella slowly backed the monstrosity out of the driveway. It was a lot easier than she had expected.

"This is awesome Jake, good job!"

"Thanks, it was nothing, though. It's just a hobby of mine."

"You're fifteen?"

"Hey! You remembered!"

Bella chuckled, surprised that she'd been right as well. "And you're allowed to drive?"

"Off the reservation... not legally." He stressed the word "legally."

Seeing as she was driving, she only gave him a quick sideways glance.

"So where are we going?" asked Bella, not sure what there was to do in Forks at 7:30 on a Sunday night.

"Well, there's this mansion they built about a year ago in the woods off the interstate if you want to go check it out. No one lives there, so as long as we don't get attacked by a bear we should be alright."

"Sounds like as good a plan as any."

Jacob directed her through "downtown" Forks; past the diner owned by the elderly Corbel couple, past city hall, past the post office and the library, all of which were closed for the night. They travelled east for a couple miles out of town and then he led her onto the interstate. Here, they merged on heading west, back toward town and exited on the other side.

"There's no underpass so the only way to get to this side of town is to cross the interstate like this," he'd explained when she asked why they'd had to take such a roundabout route.

The road they had exited onto was populated with a few houses, but once they had driven past them and headed farther away from the interstate, there was nothing but woods.

"Turn here."

She almost missed the road at which he had been pointing, and had had to slam on the breaks to slow enough so that she could make the turn safely. It was nothing more than two gravel-lined tire tracks shrouded in thick blackness.

"Why would anybody want to build a mansion back here?"

Jake simply shrugged.

As they continued along the road, the grade became steeper and steeper. Before Bella realized, the trees had disappeared and they were looking out over the interstate and the town of Forks from high on the edge of steep bluff. But the moonlight disappeared then, as the path suddenly wound away from the edge of the bluff and back into the woods. They had reached the top.

"Can you see this mansion from town?"

"Nope. But I think you can see Forks from the property. Just keep going. We're almost there."

She could barely see through the darkness ahead of her, and even with the aid of high beams it was hard to navigate the road.

"Stop!" Jacob started in a harsh whisper. The way he said it made her nervous. She could tell he was jumpy.

"Jake? Is something wrong?"

He was silent for a moment as the two of them stared out the windshield.

Bella squinted into the darkness, trying to discern the forms illuminated at the edge of the truck's headlights.

There was definitely a house, and although she could hardly make it out, she could see the general outline of a front porch. The headlights were not directly shining on the house, so it remained a large fuzzy shape at the edges of the darkness. But there was something else that was more easily recognizable. At the end of the sidewalk that led up to the porch was a large trailer truck, parallel parked along the edge of the grass. The back end of it was facing them, the tailgate open. She tried to make her eyes focus in the unusual lighting situation. She could see furniture in the back of the trailer, outlined by the harsh contrast of shadows as a result of the light being thrown upon it. As far as she could tell there was no movement anywhere. But that did not mean that no one was around.

Beside her, Jacob sat stock still, eyes wide, observing every detail of the scene. His edginess was rubbing off on her.

"Let's get out of here. Now." Jake's voice wavered. It was good enough reason for Bella, and she threw the truck into reverse.

"Turn the lights down." Jacob commanded. She obeyed unquestioningly.

Turned around and heading away from the house, they began to feel a little more at ease. Bella felt the binding in her chest loosen as it became easier to breathe.

"I thought you said no one lived there?" she shot.

"I know! I know I said that! But it looks like someone was moving in tonight. How was I supposed to know?"

Bella said nothing; just drove. She remembered how to get to Jacob's house at least, so she headed in that direction once they'd made it back to the interstate.

The Quileute reservation was a little bit of a drive from Forks. The habitation rested near the beach, so the pleasant smell of sea foam and salt always permeated the residents' homes. Bella would have been jealous, if not for the constant, icy breeze and combination sand and pebble shoreline that, in her eyes, made this beach a rather unappealing attraction. Beaches were supposed to be warm places for people to frolic in barely-there swimming attire while splashing in deep cerulean waves or basking in the golden sunshine. Not stark, grey tracts of stony grey earth being beaten upon day and night by choppy, steely silver waves that were created by the bitter, biting wind.

"But why so nervous?" she asked, re-thinking his and her jittery actions upon seeing the moving truck. She had been thinking about it in the silence as they drove as well, but had still been too shaken up to express it in words. Instead, she focused on her driving. "Just because it's dark doesn't mean they're shady people who shoot trespassers or anything like that."

"Bella, who moves into a house at eight-o'clock at night? Did you notice the moving truck? It was still practically full. It's not like they'd been just finishing up for the day. It looked like they'd just started."

"Well, I moved into my house at seven the day I got here."

"Oh…." He seemed to contemplate the situation. Though Bella had to admit, it did seem a bit odd that someone would move into a house that late at night, Especially if it was a family. She had only had two bags when she arrived in Forks, so now that she thought about it, her situation was completely different. She had not had coordinate a day of unpacking furniture.

Jacob unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, hopping out of the cabin.

"Thanks for the ride, Bella. We need to go on another adventure some time soon."

"Yeah, sure thing!" She forced a smile, having truly had fun tonight despite the terror they had faced. But that was the whole thrill of it. "Wish me luck in school tomorrow."

Jacob sensed the sarcasm in her voice. "Don't sound so glum chum! It'll be all right. People in Forks are really nice. You'll fit right in and have a gaggle of girlfriends in no time! See ya!" He waved as he headed up the path to the house.

"Yeah, sure. Everyone thinks that but…" her chin was in her chest. She doubted herself even though she knew she shouldn't. Charlie and Jacob both had faith in her, but she could not bring herself to get past her own mental block. If she had been afraid tonight in the driveway of the mansion, it was nothing compared to the bubbling discomfort that was now brewing in the pit of her stomach. She tried to see her life from an alternate reality, looking at the drama of everything that had happened to her as mere plot devices in some sick twisted novel, and the fear that she felt as one of those "romantic" elements, but when everything came down to it, she was nothing short of mortified. It was only school, she did not know why she was so scared.

As she began her drive home, she realized that had nothing more to look forward to tonight. Tomorrow she would start a new adventure. Alone.

"She tried to see her life from an alternate reality, looking at the drama of everything that had happened to her as mere plot devices in some sick twisted novel…"

_I like to think of this line as being a comment on the actual Twilight series: because it really is a sick, twisted novel. When you peel away all the layers, there are some very prevalent and dangerous ideals that shine through. Take for instance, stalking, marriage at an early age, women being good for nothing but taking care of the man and for sex, spousal abuse, unhealthy relationships and an emphasis on obsession, teen pregnancy, being nothing without a significant other, bodily perfection… the list goes on. I also like the example of Jacob, being that he is dark skinned and therefore inferior, is the dog. And later on in Breaking Dawn, the vampires that come from South America are these wild, crazy Amazon women… because they're not (or weren't originally) white North Americans. It's bigotry. It may have been unintentional, but it's there once you analyze it._

_So anyway, with this chapter… there's not much to explain. I'll let you make your minds up about it, seeing as, like I said before, I am going to reveal my mysteries when it's proper. (Even though, I'm fairly certain, that, if you've read Twilight, you probably know who is moving into the mansion). _


	4. Chapter 4: Jitters

_In the last chapter, Bella got a "new" truck and took it's mechanic (Jacob) on a joy ride to the creepy mansion in the woods that overlooks the town. Today, Bella goes to school and meets some fellow teens with attitude and realistic personalities. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Jitters<strong>

Charlie had informed his daughter earlier that morning that in her graduating class there were only 75 or so people. This was nothing like her school in Phoenix where the average graduating class was usually 400 plus. Her head slowly clouded, becoming hazy, as she put up a block against the memories that would surely accumulate from this sure-to-be-awful day. The first thing she noticed as she pulled into the lot was multiple glances in her direction.

_It has to be the truck. It's attracting too much attention,_ she thought, her cheeks suddenly growing hot under the sudden self-awareness.

The glances suddenly stopped once she had parked and gotten out of the cab. The cold morning air was refreshing, but it did nothing to quell the tumult in her gut as she stood, staring up at the main building of Forks High School.

_This is it. Don't get scared now. You've got this Bella._

Psyching herself up was not really helping. She could barely give someone else a convincing pep talk, much less herself.

Her self-consciousness grew with each step that brought her closer to the building. She looked around as she passed through the crowd. People were looking at her, but she was not sure how to read their expressions. She brushed it off as obvious curiosity over a new student, and tried to ignore it for the most part.

She entered the main office, and behind a high, half-circle counter top, a plump, red-headed woman shuffled through paperwork. Bella was beyond the woman's attention until she reached the counter.

"Oh, hello there dear." The woman suddenly stopped, her head snapping up, a pleasant smile plastered on her pudgy visage.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan. I was told to come here first to get my schedule and stuff."

"Oh! You must be Chief Swan's little girl," the woman chirped, "I was wondering when you were going to get here." She smiled warmly at Bella as she got up from her chair and made her way to a large file cabinet in the corner. She grabbed a thin stack of papers out of a wire basket on top and returned to her seat.

"Here's your schedule, dear, and I'm going to need you to take these forms home to your father and have him look at them. They're just general health and information forms for our records. You know how it is, I'm sure."

Bella nodded. At the beginning of every school year since she could remember, she had been given forms like these for her mother to fill out and send back with her. Except it was the middle of the school year, and she was the new kid, so obviously, the school did not have her information yet. Though the thought did cross her mind that her old school could have just sent her files up here. Apparently that was not how it worked. She shrugged the thought out of her mind.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, dear," the woman added. "I'm sure you're going through a rough time. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. My name is Mrs. Fields. But you can call me Brenda. I'm here if you need anything." The woman gave her a reassuring smile and returned to her work.

Bella thanked the woman, and stored the papers away in a safe place then took a quick look at her schedule. Her homeroom appeared to be in Building E, which was on the other side of the campus, so without hesitation she left the office and made her way there.

She almost got lost once because, unlike her school in Phoenix, which was one large building, this school was a series of buildings spread out over the campus. It almost did not look like a school from the road, and she would not have known otherwise if not for the sign at the end of the drive that clearly marked it as Forks Senior High School. The way the buildings were designed, they looked like a series of apartment complexes. The atmosphere the buildings projected was very homey.

Except that it felt nothing like a home to Bella.

Despite the inconvenient arrangement of the school buildings, the main reason she got lost was attributed to a group of girls who were sitting on a low standing wall outside the auditorium. When Bella had asked for directions, they were very sweet, and fought over each other who should be the one to come to the poor, lost girl's assistance. Bella had followed their directions and, to her embarrassment, found herself in the vicinity of the cafeteria dumpsters where a boy with a tangled brown bird's nest of hair —there actually might have been a bird or two living in it— and red, bloodshot eyes muttered to a banana peel about "the world is nothing but a giant hamster wheel."

Once she had gotten over that experience, she finally found her way to Building E, and apologized when she walked in during the morning announcements that no one was paying attention to anyway. No one saw her enter. No one heard her muttered apology.

The teacher, a young man in his mid-twenties with short brown hair and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that hinted he still retained some child-like immaturity, did not seem to care that there were two girls in the far corner drawing penises with smiley faces on them on the white board. She did not take time to introduce herself to anyone. She quickly scouted the room for an empty seat, saw one two rows away from the teacher's desk, and made her way there as quickly as possible, making eye contact with no one.

"Hey, Mr. Turner, Mike says you wear women's underwear when you're at home. Is that true?" one of the boys next to her asked.

The man behind the desk looked at them for a moment, considering the question.

"No, just high heels. I like to keep it simple."

That got a laugh out of the boys.

"Do you do it for your girlfriend?"

"She probably asks you to. And just when are you gonna pop the question?"

"Guys, why do you care?" Mr. Turner said, rolling his eyes.

"Because I want to be in the wedding! I've never been in one before. I think it would be cool be your best man. You can probably hold your liquor, that's my guess. It'd probably be a riot!"

Bella kept her face down, arms on the desk and picked at her thumbnail. Then one of the boys wheeled around.

"Hey," he said. She paid no attention. She feigned ignorance, not wanting to think that he was talking to her.

"Hey!" he said again, this time leaning across the isle. He jabbed her shoulder with his index finger and she looked up, startled, a slight, nervous smile on her face.

"Hi," she squeaked, giving a tiny wave. Her toe was tapping, her nervous habit setting in.

"Are you the new girl? Uh… Isabella? Right? Swan?"

"Um, yeah. That's me." She did not care to correct him when he used her full name. She looked back into the boy's bright blue eyes. He was fair-skinned with his dark hair spiked up into frosted tips; like Lance Bass from N'Sync back in the day.

"Nice ta meet ya!" he said, throwing his hand in her face. "I'm Mike."

She took his hand hesitantly. She knew her handshake was weak because she was timid and nervous at the moment, but his was like a vice grip, and he nearly shook her arm off.

"So where are you from? Nebraska?"

"Arizona."

"Ah… I hear the weather's nice there. Good for growing potatoes."

"That's Idaho, you idiot." The other boy –the dark haired, gangly one– whipped around in his seat.

"That's right, you da ho, Eric" Mike shot back at him.

"No _you_ da ho."

Mike kicked the underside of the other boy's seat hard enough that the chair legs lost contact with the ground.

And just like that, Bella was forgotten. This was going to be an extremely long day.

—

There were four classes to attend before lunch. In each and every one, the teacher had asked her to introduce herself in front of the class. It was especially embarrassing when her Spanish teacher, Ms. Spinoza, forced her with the threat of detention to do so in said language, which was horribly embarrassing. None of her fellow students laughed though, as judging by this teacher's attitude, Bella guessed that they knew a terrible and deadly fate would befall them if they came anywhere close to stepping out of line. Or leaning for that matter. Seriously. One girl dropped her pencil and leaned out into the isle to pick it up and Ms. Spinoza was right in her face as soon as the girl was sitting perfectly erect again. Bella spent the entire class trying not to blink.

In English class, someone finally got up the nerve —or decency; Bella was not really sure which one it was–— to talk to her. Bella did not count Mike, because their conversation had only lasted for a few sentences before she was immediately forgotten.

"You're Isabella, right?"

"Huh?" Bella had been trying to lose herself in the film adaptation of _The Great Gatsby_ starring Robert Redford, when the harsh whisper behind her had brought her mind screeching back to reality. She wheeled around to see who it was.

Sitting in the seat directly behind her was a tiny girl with an extra foot of height piled on top of her head in tight, brown ringlets. She had bright, friendly eyes and a wide mouth that was curled into a pleasant smile.

"Isabella Swan. Chief Swan's daughter, right?" the girl spoke again.

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, that's me. I go by Bella though."

"Bella. Okay, I'll remember. I'm Jessica." The girl gave a bright smile, and Bella could not help smiling back. "So how's your day going so far?"

Bella shrugged, disconcertment clouding her expression. "I guess it's been all right so far. No one's bitten me yet."

"Well that's good! Have you met anybody you'd like to sit with at lunch?"

The subtext of her question was not obvious to Bella at all. Nope. Not in the slightest. So instead of beating around the bush, she immediately answered her.

"Jessica, I'd love to sit with you at lunch."

"Oh good! I'll introduce you to some of my friends too! I'm sure you'll fit right in. We're all very accepting."

Bella nodded her thanks, grateful that she was not going to have to eat alone. Lunch was next and she had been getting worried about her dining situation.

When the bell rang, Bella quickly gathered her things and stood. Jessica waited for her, and it was then that Bella noticed how tiny the girl really was. She was probably only about five feet: a few inches shorter than Bella.

"You seemed really scared in Ms. Spinoza's class. Don't worry though, you did a good job with your introduction. You probably have better pronunciation than half the people in there." Jessica prattled on, looking for common ground between them as they walked to the cafeteria. "People think she uses the title Ms. because she doesn't want people to know she's not married."

"That makes sense though," Bella offered awkwardly, not wanting Jessica to feel like she was talking to a brick wall.

"And I felt so bad for Angela. It wasn't like she did anything wrong. Just dropped her pencil. Oh, you'll meet Angela. She sits with us too."

After they had gone through the lunch line, and Bella had picked out some of the things that looked a little more edible than most, they joined a group of people at a long table near the entrance. Surprisingly, Bella recognized most of them. The two boys who had been playfully harassing the teacher in homeroom that morning were there, as was the girl who had been yelled at in Spanish class. There was one other girl there as well, who she quickly learned was named Lauren, and it took her a minute, but she soon recognized her too; she had been one of the girls drawing smiley penises on the board that morning.

"Hey, I know you!" the boy, Mike, spoke when she and Jessica had sat down.

"Mike!" Jessica scolded playfully, "don't make her feel awkward! She's had a rough morning."

"It wasn't so bad actually," Bella muttered.

"So anyway… everyone, this is Bella," Jessica announced, formally introducing her to the table, "and Bella, this is Mike, Eric, Lauren and Angela. There's usually one other person that sits with us but he's not here today, so you can have his seat for now."

"Tyler?" Bella asked, genuinely curious.

The people at the table stared at her like she had just announced that she was queen of the lollipop kingdom.

"How do you know about Tyler?" Jessica said, her voice stony, as they finally sat down.

"My dad was heading the search party yesterday morning. He told me about him."

Bella should not have said anything. Now, all five sets of eyes were fixed upon her, drilling silently for more answers, begging her to go on. She hated being in the spotlight.

"Yeah, he's in the hospital," Mike said, "or didn't you guys hear?"

"Of course we heard, Mike," Eric said. The two boys were completely serious now unlike they had been that morning. "Word travels like wildfire in this town. Or didn't you know."

"Shut up, Eric."

"So did your dad tell you what happened to him? Because no one told us anything and we've been trying to find out since yesterday," Jessica said.

"Umm… well, he said they found him laying in a patch of weeds in the woods. He was alive, but really weak. That's all I know."

"That's it?" Eric was incredulous. "That's not juicy enough! Where's the story? What's the point of being friends with the police chief's daughter if you can't even get the skinny from the horse's mouth?"

"Eric!" Jessica seemed to be scolding people left and right today. Bella wondered if she was always this bossy. "That's not why we're her friends and you know it."

Eric looked away sheepishly. Bella was not really bothered by the comment though. She did not expect to be close with these people right off the bat, so she just let it go.

"So anyway, Bella," Mike piped up, trying to change the subject, "you're from Arizona, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, what brings you to Forks?"

"My mom was murdered."

The air in the room was suddenly thick, as the people at the table grew uncomfortably quiet. She had not meant to say it, but it just slipped out. If asked, she had planned on simply telling people that her mom had died. There was no reason to mention details like that it had been a murder.

Many things were running through Bella's head. First was that the people whom she was trying to fit in with were going to treat her differently now that she had given them a reason to pity her. Second was that, now that she had voiced it out loud, word was going to get around town that her mother was not simply dead, but murdered. She had no reason to trust these people, and she knew they were going to tell others. It would more than likely get back to her father, and then the entire town would take pity on him and treat him differently as well. Finally, she was thinking that these people would revoke their invitation of friendship because every time they spoke to her, she became a Debbie Downer, and who wanted to associate with someone like that?

"So… Angela, Ms. Spinoza is a disgruntled virgin, right?" Jessica said, nudging the conversation back to the lighter side of things.

"Oh my God I know…"

And with that, Bella was forgotten again.

She was not too concerned though, as she was more comfortable listening to their chatter than actually participating. It was easier this way. And so, out of curiosity, and her penchant for people watching, or maybe she did it to scout for a new group of friends, now that she had kind of ruined the possibilities of one ever developing at this table, she scanned the lunchroom.

There was a table of heavier girls to the left of her table with neon streaks in their hair wearing t-shirts from this one movie called _Sunrise_ with large pictures of the main character emblazoned on them. Bella had heard about this movie, which was a book first, but had no desire to read it. The fans were crazy, and she was one of those people prone to hype aversion. It was a bit comical because although several of them were on the fatter side, there was one that was as skinny as a rail and two others that were actually very pretty, but did not seem to realize their potential.

At another table, sat a group of muscular boys who seemed pretty rowdy; playful, but rowdy. Bella was not one to stereotype, but everyone's a little bit racist and she assumed they were the football team.

At yet another table were some people dressed in flannel and jeans, one of the guys was wearing a hat with ear-flaps. Hunters? Lumberjacks?

This is what happened when Bella's mind drifted. She knew she was stereotyping, but it was intentional this time. She was trying to figure out what kind of people she was going to have to interact with for the next year and a half of her life.

Amidst her distraction away from her new acquaintances, she did notice that there was one table, occupied by a single lonely tenant, who seemed to be genuinely ignored by everyone else. He sat in the corner alone. He had no food in front of him, only a worn paperback book, to which he focused all of his attention. He must have been concentrating rather hard: his face was set in a scowl below a tightly knit brow.

She almost felt sorry for him. He was alone, and not one person, save for herself, seemed to notice he was there. Perhaps it was more of a subconscious thing. The boy did not look too friendly, and he was nothing special in the appearances department. Though, he could have been strikingly handsome had he not looked so haggard and tired. The dark circles below his sunken eyes gave the impression that he had not slept in days. His hair appeared unhealthy, as if it had not been cut for some time and the ends were split to shits-ville. It looked to hold some kind of reddish hue, but under the strained lightening it had taken on, it was hard to say for sure. His skin was pale white, and the patches on his cheeks looked scarred and sallow. He wore plain clothes that hinted at designer labels.

Her curiosity could not be quenched, and without thinking, she jabbed Jessica in the arm with her elbow.

"Who is that?"

"Who?" Jessica whipped around to face in the same direction as Bella.

"In the corner. Him, reading the book." Bella did not want to point as she had been raised to acknowledge the rudeness of this gesture, but she gave a little poke over the back of her chair seat.

"Oh him? Hm…" Jessica pondered for a moment. "I actually don't know who that is. I've never seen him before."

"He's new too?"

"Must be." She shrugged then, and turned back to the rest of her friends, continuing with her previous conversation as if nothing had happened.

_Another new student…_ Bella wondered to herself.

She found it odd that the boy was sitting by himself. She had been offered a seat with friends, but if she had not, she would probably be sitting alone too. Maybe she would be sitting with him. The odd part about it was that no one seemed to want to have anything to do with him, whereas, in her case, she had at least been asked by _someone_ to share her lunch period with. Just as Jessica had quickly shrugged off any mention of his presence, so to, other students seemed to just pass him by without a second thought.

Just then, his eyes flew from the page, and his head turned, his gaze moving to rest in her direction. She immediately looked away, embarrassed and flustered that she had been caught peeping. No one at her table seemed to notice.

The rest of the lunch period passed uneventfully, all the while her consciousness remaining painfully aware of the boy's presence behind her. Was he still staring? Had his attention returned to his book? Regardless, the image of those stoic, cold eyes boring into her was more than a little unsettling.

The rest of the lunch period passed in a blur as she blatantly tuned out the idle chatter of her new acquaintances. When the bell rang, she headed to chemistry, which she was secretly thankful that Mike could accompany her so she would not have to ask for directions again allowing for the possibility of being sent to some embarrassing location where a gang of hoodlums was known to hang out or some other nonsense.

When they entered the classroom, she felt brave enough now to introduce herself to the teacher, and so he gave her a curt nod and bade her take a seat. She liked this teacher (Mr. Banner was it?) already. He did not mess around with nonsensical introductions.

Bella looked out at the room. Most of the students were talking amongst themselves, or settling in for the forty minutes that they would spend confined to the room. Most of the seats in the room were taken. Mike had just sat down next to another boy who sat with his legs folded in front of him, Indian style on the desk. They did not appear to be great friends, but she noted the easy chitchat between them.

Scanning the room again, she noticed that there was only one other open seat. It was at the back of the room, in the center isle of tables. And it was next to the loner from the lunchroom.

Bella was a little more than apprehensive about approaching the table, as she had not quite gotten the best vibe from this boy earlier. She had not made eye contact with him for long, but the quick image that had seared itself into her brain like a photo onto a roll of film was nothing short of threatening. He did not look friendly even now, as she inhaled deeply and took a few steps down the isle.

Naturally, she tripped over a stray book as she made her way to her seat. She felt her face flush red with embarrassment as she grabbed the back seat of a classmate's chair to steady herself. There was a slight giggle from the class.

Swallowing hard as she smiled sheepishly, attempting desperately to save face, she regained her footing and made her way to the seat.

She did not make eye contact with the boy. She knew herself to be a cornucopia of social awkwardness, so the littler contact with him the better. They may have to be lab partners, but they did not have to be friends. She despised the fact that he got to class so early as, if she had gotten there first, this seating arrangement might be different.

She did not, however, fail to notice the way his entire form tensed up when she came within a foot of his person. She dared not look at him, but she could feel the uneasiness that radiated from his body like a heat wave. She also noticed the way the chair legs scraped the floor as he inched it closer to the opposite end of the table.

What was going on here? Was he afraid of her? Did she have offensive body odor? Was he afraid of some hocus-pocus crap about girls having cooties? No surely he was not that immature.

She chanced a glance at him, and was slightly disgusted by what she saw.

The boy's skin was pale white, holding an almost yellowish pallor. The skin of his face appeared thin, flimsy, the pores large, giving his face a spongy look to it. He looked quite sickly in fact. She could not see it well, but from the angle she could see, his eyes looked very dark – almost black.

Mr. Banner started the class, but for the most part she just tuned him out. He was going on about combustion reactions and how to balance the equations associated with them. The boy's tense silence was making her feel slightly uncomfortable.

She sighed and put her head down on the cool tabletop. This was going to be a long rest of the year.

As class drew nearer to the end, Bella's head snapped up from where it had been since the start. Oblivious to the fact that she had fallen asleep, she looked around the room, hoping no one had noticed her impolite behavior.

When she looked to her left, she was met with the coldest most frightening eyes she had ever seen. There was no expression on the boy's face. His eyes were black pits of nothingness.

She felt fear shoot through her spine and the breath caught in her chest as she inhaled. The bell rang then, and she watched the boy leave faster than was natural by any means. The hair on the back of her neck and arms was standing on end. What the fuck had just happened?

The look he gave her probably meant nothing, but it had sent the creeps all the way to her core. She could not describe it, but she felt deeply disturbed. The expression had held nothing of interest, and there was no emotion there at all, but for some reason it felt like it was just a mask, a façade to cover up something else, something dangerous and scary.

Whatever it was that now rooted itself in her gut that bothered her about him, she could not place. But she decided that she did not want anything to do with it. He was bad news and she knew it.

* * *

><p><em>I haven't updated this story in a while, so I thought I would get this chapter up before I started writing the next chapter of <em>Field Day._ It's actually been mostly written for a while, I just needed to add a little bit more to finish it off and then revise. I hope I got the point across that the creepy boy (who has yet to be named) is really_ REALLY_ scary, and Bella is absolutely terrified of him. I feel like it was not emphasized enough, or maybe not emphasized in the way I had it written originally the last time I attempted this story. I'm not really concerned with making sure my revising is done super thoroughly with this story though because I don't take the pride in it that I take with other stuff I do on here because Twilight is not a subject I'm all too particularly fond of. _


	5. Chapter 5: Return

**Return**

Bella thought it quite strange that the creepy boy from her first day at Forks Senior High had not shown up the next day, or the day after that, or for the rest of the week for that matter. Not that she was complaining or anything. He scared the living daylights out of her.

Tyler had been released from the hospital Thursday afternoon, and returned on Friday looking as healthy as any other kid in the school. Naturally, everyone had a million questions for him.

"How did you get lost? You've taken that route a thousand times from my house," said Eric. The entire lunchtime gang was present, eagerly hanging on Tyler's every word.

"I didn't get lost. I told you, I suddenly got dizzy and just blacked out. I can't remember what happened after that. When I woke up, there were flashlights in my face, and I was on my back in a patch of weeds."

"Well, what did the people in the hospital say?" Mike and Eric were the most curious. Lauren sat across from Tyler, watching him intently. Bella did not fail to notice the concerned expression that distorted her face.

"They said I had an iron deficiency and prescribed some supplements. I don't know man. It's just weird."

"You have an iron deficiency?"

"Apparently. I've never been told I had one in the past."

"So you were weak when they found you?"

"Oh yeah. When they found me and helped me up to my feet, I felt so dizzy I almost passed out again. They brought a stretcher and took me away on that.

"And you can't remember a thing?"

"Nope. Not what happened before I blacked out, not during. It was just like, I fell asleep or something."

The inquisition continued, and Bella slowly found her interest shifting elsewhere.

Ever since her first day at school that Monday, Bella continually found her brain preoccupied, always drifting back to the beginning of the week and that menacing face from Chemistry class. The sight was something directly out of a nightmare, or perhaps the work of Poe or Lovecraft. The ragged skin, the dark, sunken eyes…. The image had seared itself onto the back of her skull, and she found evasion to be near impossible. There were several nights since that she had stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, fighting desperately to repress the vision. Nothing she did provided any relief. She tried surfing the web, watching re-runs of _Growing Pains_ on television and even blasting Linkin Park through her headphones. She knew she was desperate when she'd tried that stunt; she didn't even like Linkin Park.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, for the most part. Bella was invited to go out with the crew for the evening, as Eric and Mike called for celebration upon Tyler's recovery. Due to the fact that it was Friday, this also provided a reasonable excuse to have some fun. She enjoyed herself thoroughly that night, and even found herself talking a little bit more with her new friends. She had always been slow to open up to people, but the more familiar the face, the more talkative she became. She was also thankful for the distraction this social engagement provided from dwelling on the loss of her mother. It was a welcome reprieve.

The rest of the weekend passed by much more slowly than she would have preferred, and this was mostly due to the fact that her thoughts were again nagging at her during the times she was left alone. However, she slept in Saturday morning, as was her habit, and watched a little TV after she got out of bed. She spent some quality time that afternoon with a good book, and then went over to Jessica's for dinner. Charlie didn't mind having the house to his self that evening. He seemed happy that his daughter was beginning to fit in and was easily making friends.

Sunday, Bella spent some time on her homework and then watched more TV. She continued to fight against the unwanted thoughts that were rolling around inside her, but it was useless. Bella never thought she would feel this way, but she actually could not wait for school the next morning.

On Monday, Bella parked her truck in the lot as she usually did and headed off to homeroom. When she reached the sidewalk in front of the main office, her early morning daze was shattered by the sound of screeching tires across pavement. She whirled around just in time to see Tyler's blue van smashing a nice dent into the back left fender of her truck. She did not even think about the truck. It was a sturdy beast and would live to drive another day, but Tyler…

It took five members of the school faculty to keep the swarm of students at bay while the paramedics extricated Tyler from the wreckage. Bella got a glimpse of him before they loaded him into the back of the ambulance, and he did not look well at all. He was very pale, and he looked weak by the way his limbs fell slack as the paramedics lifted him onto the stretcher.

That day at lunch, her friends were, naturally, abuzz with chatter about Tyler.

"Bella, I bet you feel the worst about all this. It was your truck he hit. If it wasn't in the way, he might not be in the hospital right now," said Lauren, doing nothing to hide her snide tone.

"I don't know," Bella replied. She didn't feel guilty before, but she did now, thanks to Lauren's comment. Her intuition alerted her to the hostility Lauren was throwing her way like a solar flare. This girl wanted a fight. Bella had no intention of participating, but if an advance was made, she _would_ retaliate, and she made this perfectly clear with the piercing glare she returned to the blond.

"Bella didn't do anything. How could you say something like that?" Jessica practically shouted. "Her truck was parked and she was on the sidewalk. I was with her."

Lauren just glared back in silence.

Mike attempted to change the subject to sports, and the others bit, Bella's mind wandering off again. She had never cared much for sports.

Staring off into space, she almost forgot where she was. She came back down to Earth when someone she thought she recognized walked past her line of vision and sat down at the empty table in the corner.

She shook her head, and looked again. She _did_ recognize him. It was the boy from last week! Or was it? It had to be him, it looked like him, but he looked different somehow. Bella did not understand what she was seeing. Should she point this out to Jessica? No, Jessica wouldn't care. No one seemed to care about that guy. He had shown up for one day of class then disappeared for a week and no one had even mentioned it. Bella was not sure now which was more unnerving, the glare he had given her last week, or his drastic change in appearance.

The bell rang, and she was off to Chemistry, walking with Mike, as had become their custom. As they approached the door, she took a deep, wavering breath.

"Something wrong?" Mike asked.

Bella shook her head. "It's nothing. That guy, remember, from last week? He's back."

Mike had asked her about him after that first encounter, and she'd only shared with him that the boy seemed kind of quiet, and that it scared her for some reason. She had not explained the degree of her befuddlement, so Mike did not know just how anxious Bella was right now.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure he doesn't bite," Mike said, a broad smile on his lips. Bella nodded.

"Yeah, he just makes me nervous for some reason, but you knew that already."

Mike held the door for her, gesturing for her to enter.

She entered the room and immediately looked to the seat beside hers. There he was, staring at her, his gaze turning her stomach into nervous knots. Mike gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder and she took another deep breath before she approached her seat. She sat down and faced toward the front of the room.

"Hello," he said suddenly, startling her. She did her best to hide her surprise, but her huge saucer eyes gave her away.

"H… hi," she stuttered, sliding her class binder out of her bag.

"I'm afraid that I didn't properly introduce myself to you last week. My name is Edward Cullen."

She looked at him questioningly. What was he playing at?

"Bella Swan."

"I'd like to apologize for frightening you last week."

"Oh…" that threw her off guard. She had not thought he'd even cared. "I… I wasn't really scared or anything, just…" She looked up into his face then and realized why he'd looked strange in that instant back in the lunchroom.

He no longer looked sickly and disheveled. Up close, he looked like a completely different person than the monster that had given her that terrifying death glare only a week earlier. His skin was smooth and taught, a soft blush coloring his fuller, slightly puffy cheeks. His hair was shiny and healthy, and his eyes were now a light brown. No, actually, a slight twinge of green colored them; very pretty hazel eyes. He looked like a normal seventeen year old boy now, albeit more handsome than most.

Though it was this distinction between the person she had seen last week and the boy that sat beside her today that frightened her more than anything. This was wrong. What the fuck was going on?

"No, I really am sorry. I knew that I scared you, but I was in such a hurry to get to my next class. I am new as well, you see, and I don't quite know my way around…"

"How do you know I'm new here?"

He looked stunned, and she saw him momentarily wrack his mind for a convincing story. It was a valid question. As far as she knew, he didn't have any friends, and Jessica had told her that she had never seen him before last week either, so how would he have had any prior knowledge of her situation?

"Intuition I suppose… you just looked kind of, I don't know, out of place and awkward around the others, so I just figured…"

Mr. Banner began speaking then, and he was cut off mid sentence.

For the rest of class, she listened to the teacher and took precise notes. When class was over, she stood and gathered her things. The boy was gone before she could even blink.

* * *

><p>As she was gathering her things from her locker to head home for the evening, Bella felt a light tap on her shoulder. Glancing back, she saw that it was Edward, and nearly jumped out of her skin.<p>

"Jesus Edward! You fucking scared me!"

"Oh dear, I'm so very sorry. That was not my intention."

Bella clutched her chest. She could feel her heart racing at a million miles a minute. He allowed her a moment to catch her breath before he spoke again.

"I only wanted to invite you over to my house for dinner on Wednesday night. My family is hosting a dinner engagement for a few neighbors as a sort of house warming party. I would like it if you and your family could come."

Bella did not know what to say. She knew with every fiber of her being though, that that was one party she would have to avoid. She did not want to be mean though.

"Um, thanks. I'll ask Cha… my dad. We might already have plans that night though."

"That would be a shame. I would very much like you to join us."

"It sounds nice. But like, I said, I'll let you know."

"Of course." He turned and began heading down the hallway.

"If it's at all possible…" she called after him when he was only a few yards away.

He only looked back over his shoulder with a sly grin.

Something was definitely wrong with Edward, and Bella did not want to know any more about him than was necessary for passing their Chemistry class. He may be beautiful now, but he was frightening and dangerous, there was no denying that fact.

* * *

><p>I've gotten complaints about why I made Edward look old and ugly. Surprise! He's not! I wonder why?<p>

If you've read _Dracula_, you'll know where I'm going with this.


	6. Chapter 6: Dinner Party

_I think I mentioned in an earlier A/N that I would not be spending tons of time on this story. In fact, on my list of projects, I actually removed this one. However, I just realized that this chapter was already mostly written, and has been for a while, so I decided to revise and post it. _

_Twilight doesn't really interest me any more, and I've moved on to other things (If you follow me as an author, you'll notice all the other stories I've been writing here and there when I have the time.) I also am done with college and just got my first "adult" job, so time will be even shorter from now on, and whether or not I have time to work on even other things that I am more interested in will be a question as well._

_It's been over a year since I last updated. If you're even still interested in this story… then wow. Thanks! No promises it won't be just as long, if at all, for the next chapter._

This time of year, the sun was usually down by five-thirty. The evening was slated to begin at six-thirty, and dinner was to be served at seven. Bella and her father showed up a little after six thirty, Charlie toting a bottle of wine. It was nothing special, just a cheap wine that he found at the general store in town, but it was their most expensive bottle.

Bella followed him up the main walk, secretly shuddering inside. She was more scared than she let on, but she did her best to conceal her anxiety. She had confided in her dad, having done her best to describe Edward's unusual change in appearance, so he was well aware of the reservations she had about this dinner engagement.

When Charlie knocked on the door, a tall, attractive, brunette was already there to welcome them inside. She looked like a movie star in her form-fitting, emerald dress.

"Good evening" she said, extending a long, graceful hand, "You must be the Swans. I have heard a few things about Bella, but I'm afraid I do not know much about you, Chief Swan."

"You can call me Charlie," he said, a polite smile emerging from behind his bushy mustache.

"I am Esme. It is a pleasure to meet you both. Please, do come in, and don't be afraid to make yourselves at home."

She gestured for them to enter and, looping her hand under Charlie's arm, escorted them to the living room. A few other families were already there, talking amongst themselves. A tall, blonde man who was equally as pale as Esme and Edward accompanied them, sitting comfortably cross-legged in a corner chair.

"Carlisle, dear, these are the Swans: Charlie and Bella."

"Nice to meet the both of you," he said, rising fluidly and approaching the new guests. He took Charlie's hand and welcomed him warmly.

"Chief swan, it is indeed a pleasure. My family and I are very thankful you could attend tonight's gathering." He looked directly into Charlie's eyes, establishing his sincerity. He then turned his gaze to Bella.

"You must be Bella. Edward has told me much about you."

Bella simply took his hand and smiled as warmly as she could manage. She could not, however, hide the twitch on her lip. _Why the hell is Edward telling his family about me? I hardly ever speak to him. What is there to even tell?_

This situation was already rubbing her skin the wrong way.

A few more of the locals were seated around the room. Bella recognized Eric, Lauren and what must have been their parents and Lauren's younger siblings. The Cullens' house appeared to be rather large, both from the inside and out, but it didn't seem big enough to seat thirteen people at a dinner table. It was certainly larger than most homes in Forks.

Bella found a seat next to her father on one of the large sofas lining the perimeter of the room. Carlisle returned to his seat.

"So, Charlie," he said, re-crossing his legs. "The Mallorys and the Yorkies say they have known you for quite a while. You seem to be quite an esteemed member of this fine community."

Bella looked to her father. He seemed to be unsure of the proper response to the statement.

"Well… yes. I have lived here for quite a while. Bella was born here, but she recently moved back. I met her mother here, but she had bigger dreams than this small town, and I couldn't bring myself to leave. It's like a family here, and I've always been grateful for the tight knit community. I hope that you and your family find their niche here as well."

"I hope so too. It is hard, moving around from place to place so often as we do. I'm afraid I have never felt a sense of community anywhere we have been. I hope this town will be different."

"Well, where are you from?" Lauren's mother asked, curiously.

"We have lived many different places, tending to stay mostly north. I was born in Sweden, to tell the truth."

"Is that so?" Charlie spoke up, "I hope this doesn't come off as ignorant, but you don't even have an accent."

"That is true. I was born there, but I did not live there throughout my childhood. My parents immigrated to the U.S. when I was only two. We settled in Minnesota, and when I was older and met Esme, we moved around more often."

Esme returned to the room, standing in the doorway like an elegant sculpture.

"Dinner is nearly ready, everyone. Carlisle? Could we please move this conversation into the dining room?"

Carlisle nodded once, slowly, a pleasant smile gracing his features. "Of course."

The company stood and followed Esme out of the living room, and down a short, white-walled corridor into a large, elegant, dining room. Soft, mint-green walls and a white chair rail opened up the room, and a pristine glass table fitted atop white Queen Anne legs ran down its center. The silverware and flatware was equally impressive: polished, stainless steel and white, sparkling china.

Each person took his or her seat around the table, Esme had momentarily left to go to the kitchen, but she sat on one end and Carlisle on the other. Edward soon joined them and took the empty seat across from Bella and Charlie.

Esme appeared with a large dish, and made several trips into the kitchen for more. The dishes included roast chicken, vegetables, gravy, mashed potatoes, breads, and so much more. It was more food than any one of the guests could ever eat on his or her own. It did not hurt to gain favor with your new neighbors and Esme sure knew how to do just that. Everything was delicious, and despite her misgivings about the Cullens, Bella abandoned her paranoia over poisoned food, after she'd taken that first hesitant bite. She ended up eating until she had to unbutton the fly of her jeans. She felt highly underdressed considering the setting and the Cullens' appearances: they all wore what appeared to be designer labels. Each one of them looked absolutely stunning: like supermodels. The way they ate was even refined.

"So Carlisle," asked Eric's father, once everyone had finished stuffing themselves to their heart's content, "you and Esme seem pretty young to have a seventeen-year-old son."

"Oh, well," he chuckled, "that's because he is not our son." He glanced to Esme, a meaningful glint in his eye, and then passed that same glance on to Edward. Bella noticed it, and looked to her father, her brow knit. Charlie had a very similar expression on his own face.

The entire table had actually gone silent until Carlisle spoke again.

"He is my cousin. My Aunt, his mother, died in a tragic car accident when he was only 11 years old."

"Sadly, I never knew my father," Edward chimed in. "He died when I was still young."

"Carlisle and I had just been married the year before, and even though my husband has a soft heart, he did not immediately want the responsibility. Thankfully mine was kinder and he listened to its reason." Esme smiled at her husband across the table. "Edward really had nowhere else to go."

For some reason, Bella didn't buy the story. It seemed too fabricated. This family was so fake, laying on the act like thick chunky peanut butter. There was something else going on here, she knew it deep down in her gut. The others at the table may have bought this crock of bologna, but she didn't. She looked to her father and saw by the look on his face, that he was having a hard time believing their performance too.

The conversation continued after dinner had ended, and Carlisle invited the guests to stay later into the evening, but many of them insisted that they needed to return home due to morning commitments such as school and work.

"Thank you so much for the meal, it was delicious," Mrs. Mallory said. "Feel free to visit any time."

"Thank you," said Carlisle, shaking Mr. Mallory's hand and giving Mrs. Mallory a quick, friendly peck on the cheek as they made their way out. "That sounds lovely."

"Yes, we also had a wonderful time. We should have you over for dinner some time as well, though it wouldn't be this fancy, I have to admit." Eric's mom was blushing.

"Oh, Cheryl, don't be so modest," Esme replied. "We would be honored."

In a moment, Eric's family disappeared through the door as well, and Charlie was shaking Carlisle's hand.

"Thank you for dinner Carlisle," he said. "We should do it again some time."

"Of course."

Carlisle looked to Bella then, and extended a hand. She took it unwittingly, only realizing her reluctance after she'd taken it. His skin was ice cold.

"Thank you, Mr. Cullen," she said bashfully.

"Please, dear. Call me Carlisle. No need for formality, we're friends now."

_That's what you think…_

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Thanks again," said Charlie and they were out the door and back to the car in a matter of seconds.

Once they had gotten into the vehicle and were safely driving away through the dark woods back down the incline, Charlie spoke up.

"I don't know if you noticed too, but there is something not right about those people."

"I told you," she said. "Edward is just as strange in school."

"I know you said he was kind of… different, and all the other things you told me, but sometimes the parents aren't to blame for that. In this case, I think it might be."

"What do you think it is?"

"Couldn't tell you, Bells. Something's just off. For one, I noticed that even though they ate with us, they ate far less than everyone there."

"I noticed that too."

"And shaking Carlisle's hand was like holding a refrigerated steak."

Bella just nodded. Whether her father saw the gesture or not, she didn't know.

Charlie sighed. "I don't know if I'd accept another invitation to dinner. I'm sure they're nice people, I just don't get very nice vibes from them."

"Me either."

Bella yawned.

"I hear ya," Charlie mumbled. "All that food made me sleepy too. I think I'm turning in early tonight."

"Same here."

The two of them drove home without another word.


End file.
